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Press Release: The Woodlands, TX, 7:00 PM, May 11, 2011
Course and Conditions Keep All but 3 Players over Par
A tough course and high winds make low scores rare, and that was the case in today's opening round of the Carlton Woods Invitational, as only three players broke par on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at the Club at Carlton Woods. The three day, stroke play, individual event has a very strong field, with numerous regional and national amateur champions. The invitational field is divided into a Mid-Amateur Division for players 25 years of age and older and a Senior Amateur Division for players over 55.
In the Mid-Am Division, Dusty Smith, the new Assistant Golf Coach at Lamar University is leading with a 71. Two shots back are Mark Knecht of Paducah, Kentuck, and Steve Wilson, the 2008 USGA Mid-Amateur Champion from Ocean Springs, MS. Dusty Smith is glad to be returning to competitive amateur golf. He played high school golf for The Woodlands High School, then went onward to play college golf at Lamar University followed by several years of professional golf. Dusty's interest in coaching led him to the Assistant Coach position at Lamar, and his amateur status was reinstated in October of 2010. This is his first competitive event since then, and he played exceptionally well, with consecutive birdies on the difficult, par-4, 9th, 10th and 11th holes. His round had one disaster was a triple bogey 7 on the 15th hole, when a 7 iron from the center of the fairway came up just short of the difficult pin and went in the water hazard fronting the green, followed by a 99 yard wedge that went long.
In the Senior Amateur Division, Carlton Woods Member Mike Booker is glad to be playing at all, and he's one shot behind a two under par 70 shot by Chris Maletis of Laquinta, CA. Maletis has won numerous prestigious events, including the Trans Mississipi, the Coleman, the Sr. Masters and the Golf Week Invitational in Rancho Mirage, CA last month. The key to his good round today was "staying away from putting pressure on my putter", by hitting lots of greens in regulation and leaving very short second putts. Maletis enjoyed the course which is long enough to let him hit driver. Mike Booker is competing just two weeks after successful surgery for melanoma. The clean bill of health is a relief, and the stitches in his back have forced him to "swing at 80%, but hit it just as long".
Play continues in the event with early starts Thursday and Friday. Spectators are welcome, and full field scores can be found under the results section of this site.
Chris Maletis of Laquinta, CA
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Mid-Am Round 1 leader Dusty Smith
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New to the 2011 tournament, the 36 hole cut has been eliminated, and a new, separate event has been added earlier in the week. On Monday and Tuesday May 9th and 10th, two day, Carlton Woods Pro-Scratch Event will pair the Club Professional and an accomplished amateur from elite clubs across the United States with two amateurs from the Club at Carlton Woods or Carlton Woods member and a guest. Awards presentation and closing of the event will be held during the reception dinner for the Carlton Woods Invitational. For information, contact the golf professionals at The Club at Carlton Woods.
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